Guidelines in North Carolina

Voter Registration Requirements

You need to have been a resident of North Carolina and the county where you plan to vote for 30 days before the election.

You need to be at least 16 years old to pre-register to vote (you must be 18 to vote; if you will be at least 18 by election day, you may vote in the primary).

You can't be registered to vote, nor can you vote, in any other county or state.

If you've been convicted of a felony, you need to have had your rights of citizenship restored.

If you're a first-time voter who registers by mail, you're required to submit proof of identification either at the time of registration or when you vote. You can include a copy of your identification with your registration form today! Acceptable forms of ID include: a current utility bill, bank statement, valid photo ID, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.

Don't forget -- your state may have additional ID requirements when you go to the polls.

If you have additional questions about voting in North Carolina, please contact: North Carolina State Board of Elections: (919)-733-7173 or (866)-522-4723; elections.sboe@ncsbe.go

Registration Deadline

Postmarked by: 25 days before Election Day.

In person:25 days before Election Day.

Same Day Registration:Yes.

Felony Information

Under North Carolina law, if you have previously been convicted of a felony, you may vote when you have completed all of your sentence (including probation and parole). You must then re-register to vote. For more information on voting after a felony conviction, visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections' website or by calling 919-733-7173.

Information for Students

You must be a resident of the state in which you register and vote. If you're a student from North Carolina who attends school in another state, you may need to determine whether you're a North Carolina resident or a resident of the state where you attend school. The important thing to keep in mind is that you may only cast your vote in one state.

Here's what North Carolina says about residency: Your residence is that place in which your habitation (specifically, the location of your bedroom or sleeping area) is fixed, and to which, whenever absent, you intend to return. So long as a student intends to make the student's home in the community where the student is physically present for the purpose of attending school while the student is attending school and has no intent to return to the student's former home after graduation, the student may claim the college community as the student's domicile. The student need not also intend to stay in the college community beyond graduation in order to establish domicile there.

If you determine you're a North Carolina resident, but will not be present in this state or will be away from your home district on Election Day, be sure to check the absentee ballot application requirements and deadlines. In addition, North Carolina residents who attend school in-state, but in a different election district, may be eligible to register and vote in the election district where they live while attending school.

To determine whether you're a resident of a different state where you attend school, be sure to check that state's residency requirements.

Identification Information

First-time voters who registered to vote by mail must provide ONE of the following:

Valid and current photo ID, or

Current utility bill, or

Current bank statement, or

Current paycheck, or

Current government check, or

Other current government document that shows name and address

Same Day Registration

Yes - Early Voting Only (this ends 3 days before election day)

Early Voting Information

In North Carolina, you don't have to wait until Election Day to vote. You can skip Election Day lines and vote early at a time that's convenient for you.

Vote Early in Person

All voters in North Carolina can vote in person before Election Day at County Board of Elections offices from October 18, 2012 to November 3, 2012.

Vote Early by Mail

You can also vote before Election Day by completing an absentee ballot and submitting it by mail.

First, send a letter to your County Board of Elections' office that contains all of the information listed below. Your County Board of Elections must receive your letter by October 30, 2012.

A request statement ("I am requesting an absentee ballot for the YEAR General Election.")

Your name

Your residential address

The address where the ballot should be mailed (if different from your residential address)

Your date of birth

Your telephone number

Your signature or the signature of a near relative

Your completed ballot must either be postmarked by Election Day and received by the County Board no later than 5:00 p.m. on the third day following the election, or returned to the Board of Elections in person by 5:00 p.m. prior to Election Day.